Basketball shooting training aid and method of use

ABSTRACT

A training aid for improving a player&#39;s skill in shooting a basketball. The training aid includes a substantially planar surface and foot positioning indicia viewable on the planar surface. The foot positioning indicia include a lead foot indicia and a plurality of trailing foot indicia. Each of the trailing foot indicia define a separate foot placement position for the player&#39;s trailing foot wherein the training aid is usable by players having different sizes by selecting one of the plurality trailing foot indicia appropriate for the size of the player and using the lead foot indicia and the selected one of the trailing foot indicia to define suitable lead and trailing foot positions for the player when shooting the basketball. The planar surface may take the form of the upper surface of a floor mat repositionable on the court and having alignment indicia for properly positioning the mat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention.

The present invention relates the game of basketball and, more particularly, to a training aid useful in assisting a player develop better shooting skills.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are a wide variety of known techniques and training aids for improving a basketball player's shooting skills. Many of the known training aids are cumbersome to set up and employ. For example, it is known to place a free standing structure on the basketball court which has a height approximating the up-stretched arms of another player. A player practicing his shooting skills would stand behind such a structure and shoot the basketball over the structure toward the basketball hoop thereby simulating a shot over the up-stretched arms of a defensive player. Other known training aids must be attached to the basketball hoop itself which generally necessitates the use of a ladder to attach the training aid for use and the subsequent removal of training aid from the basketball hoop once the training session has been completed. Still other training aids restrict the movement of the player's arms in an attempt to force the motion of the player's arms to conform to a desired shooting motion. Various other training aids are also known in the art.

One of the simplest and most effective means to improve shooting skills is to practice, practice, practice. If the player uses bad shooting form when practicing, however, repeated practicing can have the unintended effect of ingraining bad habits. To prevent such reinforcement of bad habits, a coach or instructor can oversee the practice session and work with the player to correct the player's shooting form. The proper form for basketball shooting involves the proper positioning and movement of the entire body. The movement of the upper torso of the player, however, is of critical importance to shooting skills and a coach will often review the foot position of the player before the player shoots the ball and focus on watching the upper torso of the player while the player actually practices the shot. Moreover, a coach may be simultaneously coaching several players and individually instructing each of the players on the proper foot placement can be time consuming and thereby reduce the overall effectiveness of the training session.

A relatively inexpensive, easy to deploy training aid that would enable a coach to increase the effectiveness of such training sessions is desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a device that is useful for improving a basketball player's shooting skills by providing foot positioning indicia which a player can use to determine the proper position of his feet before shooting a basketball.

The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a training aid useable with a basketball court for improving a player's skill in shooting a basketball through a basketball hoop. The training aid includes foot positioning indicia for guiding the placement of a player's feet. The foot positioning indicia include a lead foot indicia defining a foot placement position for the player's lead foot and a plurality of trailing foot indicia. Each of the trailing foot indicia define a separate foot placement position for the player's trailing foot wherein the training aid is usable by players having different sizes by selecting one of the plurality trailing foot indicia appropriate for the size of the player and using the lead foot indicia and the selected one of the trailing foot indicia to define suitable lead and trailing foot positions for the player when shooting the basketball.

The invention comprises, in another form thereof, a training aid useable with a basketball court for improving a player's skill in shooting a basketball through a basketball hoop. The training aid includes a mat that is repositionable on the basketball ball court and has an upper surface. Alignment indicia defining a proper orientation of the mat relative to the basketball hoop are provided on the mat. Foot positioning indicia are provided on the upper surface and have a predefined position relative to the alignment indicia. The foot positioning indicia include a lead foot indicia defining a foot placement position for the player's lead foot and having a first width. The foot positioning indicia also include a trailing foot indicia. The leading foot indicia and the trailing foot indicia define a linear direction extending at a predefined angle relative to a direct line extending from the lead foot indicia to the basketball hoop. The trailing foot indicia extend along this linear direction for a length at least twice the magnitude of the first width of the lead foot indicia whereby the training aid is usable by players having different sizes by selecting different locations along the length of the trailing foot indicia appropriate for the size of the player and using the lead foot indicia and the selected location along the length of said trailing foot indicia to define suitable lead and trailing foot positions for the player when shooting the basketball.

The invention comprises, in yet another form thereof, a method of training a basketball player. The method includes placing foot positioning indicia on a basketball court at a predefined orientation relative to a basketball hoop. The foot positioning indicia include a lead foot indicia and a trailing foot indicia wherein the lead foot indicia and the trailing foot indicia define a linear direction extending at a predefined angle relative to a direct line extending from the lead foot indicia to the basketball hoop. The method also includes positioning a player's lead foot at a position indicated by the lead foot indicia, placing the player's trailing foot along the predefined angle defined by the trailing foot indicia and at a distance from the player's lead foot that is determined by the player's size and having the player shoot a basketball at the basketball hoop while the player's feet are positioned on the foot positioning indicia.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above mentioned and other features of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a training aid in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view a coach and a basketball player using the training aid.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of a basketball court and several training aids positioned thereon.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the exemplification set out herein illustrates an embodiment of the invention, in one form, the embodiment disclosed below is not intended to be exhaustive or to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention to the precise form disclosed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A training aid 20 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. In the illustrated embodiment, training aid 20 takes the form of a mat 22 having a substantially planar upper surface 24 and which can be easily repositioned on a basketball court. In the illustrated embodiment, mat 22 is formed out of a 3/16 inch (0.48 cm) open cell sponge rubber non-skid base and a polyester cloth layer that forms upper surface 24 and forms an approximately 2 foot (61 cm) by 2 foot (61 cm) mat. Such material is often used to manufacture coasters, countermats and computer mouse pads and is readily available in blank sheets and roll stock form from suppliers such as A1 Custom Mousepads Imaging Inc. having a place of business in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. One advantage of using a flexible material is that it can be easily rolled up which allows mats 22 to be rolled and placed in a cardboard tube for direct shipment to purchasers of mats 22 facilitating the purchase of such mats 22 at a distance using phone, mail, the internet, or other suitable means of communication.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, mat 22 includes a number of visually recognizable elements including foot positioning indicia 26, alignment indicia 46 and transverse line 56. In the illustrated embodiment, these elements are printed on the polyester cloth layer forming upper surface 24 using a conventional dye-sublimation printing process. Alternative embodiments, however, could utilize different means for providing a mat with such indicia. For example, other printing methods or the use of differently colored materials to form different parts of the mat could be used to form such indicia. Still other methods of forming such indicia include forming depressions or projections in upper surface 24 to form the indicia or by the use of cut-outs in the mat.

Foot positioning indicia 26 includes both lead foot indicia 28 and trailing foot indicia 34. As will be discussed in greater detail below, lead foot indicia 28 and trailing foot indicia 34 define proper foot positions for a player 68 when shooting a basketball 66. A variety of different graphical forms may be used to provide foot positioning indicia 26. In the illustrated embodiment, lead foot indicia 28 is includes a lead foot outline 30 and a graphical element 32 defines the target point for player 68 to place the ball of his lead foot 70. The metatarsal region of the foot in the region of the first metatarsal head (the first metatarsal head is near the big toe) forms the area commonly referred to as the ball of the foot. Elements in addition to outline 30 and ball of foot target 32, such as a heel element, are also included in the illustrated embodiment of the lead foot indicia 28.

While lead foot indicia 28 defines a single location for the placement of a player's lead foot, trailing foot indicia 34 includes a plurality of indicia for the placement of the player's trailing foot to enable training aid 20 to be used by players of varying sizes as will be discussed in greater detail below. In the illustrated embodiment, trailing foot indicia 34 is formed by three overlapping trailing foot outlines 36, 38, 40. Ball of foot targets 42, 44 corresponding to outlines 36, 38 are also printed on upper surface 24. Although both trailing foot outline 36 and trailing foot outline 40 are only partial outlines, it is still readily recognizable that each of the trailing foot outlines 36, 38, 40 have a different size. Trailing foot outlines 36, 38, 40 get progressively larger as the distance from lead foot indicia 28 increases. In other words, the smallest outline 36 is located nearest leading foot indicia 28 and the largest outline 40 is located farthest from leading foot indicia 28.

Trailing foot indicia 34 also includes ball of foot targets 42, 44 for outlines 36, 38. Ball of foot targets 32, 42, 44 define a linear direction 45 that extends at a predefined angle 49 relative to a direct line 48 extending from lead foot indicia 28 to basketball hoop 62 when mat 22 is properly oriented on a basketball court. It is noted that ball of foot targets 32, 42, 44 are not arranged in a precisely linear orientation but do fall along a generally linear path and that line 45 intersects ball of foot target 32 and ball of foot targets 42, 44 are positioned proximate line 45.

Although there is not universal agreement on what constitutes the proper stance for a player shooting a basketball and most coaches recognize the need to allow some variance from the archetypical stance for individual players, there is general agreement that using good shooting form will improve a player's shooting percentage. By defining proper foot position locations for a player shooting a basketball, training aid 20 allows a coach 78 to provide feedback and instructions to a player 68 on his shooting form while minimizing the time required to instruct the player on the proper placement of his feet thereby improving the overall effectiveness of the training session. As best seen in FIG. 3, one commonly recommended stance for shooting a basketball 66 involves player 68 positioning his lead foot 70 so that it points at the basketball hoop 62, positioning his trailing foot 72 slightly rearwardly of the lead foot 70, with feet positioned generally below the hips and knees slightly bent, to tilt the player's hips and torso to place the player's lead or shooting arm 74 closer to basketball hoop 62 than the player's guide arm 76. It is generally recommended that the player's shooting arm 74 be bent at an angle close to 90 degrees at the elbow when shooting and that the ball be propelled solely by the shooting arm with the guide arm merely balancing the ball the on the player's shooting arm. Different coaches, however, may have differing philosophies and the illustrated training aid 20 can be used with any such shooting philosophies which rely upon the player's feet to be positioned with one foot forward and the trailing foot positioned rearwardly along line 45. For shooting styles and philosophies relying upon alternative foot positions, alternative training aids 20 having differently oriented foot positioning indicia can be used.

The illustrated training aid 20 is configured to position the player's trailing foot 72 at a desired angle 49 relative to the player's leading foot 70 and a line 48 extending from the player's leading foot 70 to the basketball hoop 62. When using training aid 20, player 68 will place his lead foot 70 in the position indicated by lead foot indicia 28 and his trailing foot in a position on line 45 to position the player's hips and torso in the desired orientation relative to hoop 62. The distance along line 45 between the player's lead foot 70 and trailing foot 72 will be dependent upon the size of the player with the distance between a larger player's feet along line 45 being larger than that for a smaller player. To account for these differing distances, illustrated training aid 20 utilizes a plurality of trailing foot outlines 36, 38, 40 which, as discussed above, are positioned at differing distances from lead foot indicia 28 along line 45. As best seen in FIG. 1, this results in trailing foot indicia 34 having a greater width 41 than the width 31 of lead foot indicia 28 wherein both of these widths are taken along a line parallel to the linear direction 45. (FIG. 1 shows these widths along line 45 which intersects ball of foot targets 32, 42, 44.) Alternative embodiments of training aid 20, however, may utilize alternative indicia to represent a range of positions for the player's trailing foot position along the desired angle which is defined by line 45 in the embodiment of FIG. 1. For example, a band of contrasting color extending parallel with line 45 without discrete and separate foot outlines could be used as the trailing foot indicia. As seen in FIG. 1, angle 49 defined between line 48 (which intersects the center of hoop 62) and line 45 is approximately 110 degrees.

Mat 22 also includes alignment indicia 46 that are useful when positioning mat 22 on a basketball court 60 to ensure the proper orientation of mat 22 with the basketball hoop 62. Alignment indicia 46 define the linear direction 48 that intersects the center of basketball hoop 62 when mat 22 is properly oriented. Of course, when mat 22 is properly oriented, the foot positioning indicia 26 on upper surface 24 will also be properly oriented with respect to hoop 62. In the illustrated embodiment, alignment indicia 46 is formed by printing on the upper surface 24 and includes a linear extending element 50, an arrowhead 52 and a circular element 54. Although the illustrated embodiment provides one example of an alignment indicia 46, such indicia may take a wide variety of forms. For example, linear extending element 50 and arrowhead 52 are each independently capable of defining linear direction 48 without further indicia and a plurality of spaced circular elements 54 located in a linear path could alternatively define linear direction 48. A large number of other graphical elements could also be used to define linear direction 48. Moreover, while the illustrated indicia 46 are printed on upper surface 24, alternative embodiments of mat 22 could employ other techniques for providing alignment indicia 46. For example, indicia 46 could be formed by placing depressions in upper surface 24 or by forming cut-outs in mat 22, such as through a die cutting operation, that extend through the full thickness of mat 22.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, lead foot indicia 28 is positioned to align player's lead foot 70 with line 48 defined by indicia 46. The shooting arm 74 of player 68 will generally be positioned directly above lead foot 70 and, thus, in the illustrated embodiment, line 48 also corresponds to the desired flight path of basketball 66. As a result, when mat 22 is properly positioned and player 68 uses foot positioning indicia 28 to position his feet, his lead foot 70, shooting elbow and hand and the ball 66 will be aligned with line 48 which points at hoop 62 and his hips will be properly oriented. By properly aligning player 68 with hoop 62 prior to player 68 shooting ball 66, the possibility of player 68 missing hoop 62 to the left or right will be minimized. Since every basketball shot can be missed either long, short, left or right, the use of mat 22 to properly align player 68 with a flight path line 48 intersecting hoop 62 (minimizing the chances of missing left or right) allows player 68 to concentrate more closely on shooting ball 66 the correct distance.

Mat 22 also includes a transversely extending line 56 which is oriented perpendicularly to alignment line 48. When mat 22 is properly oriented with respect to hoop 62, foot positioning indicia 26 will be located behind transverse line 56 with respect to hoop 62. In this manner, foot positioning indicia 26 simulate the positioning of a player's feet behind the free throw line when shooting a free throw. To reinforce this similarity, the illustrated embodiment utilizes a transverse line 54 that has a width 58 that is approximately the same width as the lines used on a conventional basketball court, i.e., approximately 2 inches (5.1 cm) for basketball courts in the U.S.A. As can be seen in FIG. 1, a line 55 corresponding to transverse stripe 56 and line 45 form an angle 55 that is approximately 20 degrees in the illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 3 provides a schematic depiction of a portion of a basketball court 60 with a hoop 62 mounted on a backboard (the post for supporting the backboard is not shown). Lines 64 marking the boundaries of court 60 and features such as the free throw line are also depicted in FIG. 3. A plurality of training aids are shown in FIG. 2, including mats 24 a that are configured for use by right-handed shooters (with the lead foot indicia being right foot outlines) and a mat 24 b configured for use by a left-handed shooter (with the lead foot indicia being a left foot outline). (FIG. 2 illustrates a left-handed shooter.) Mats 24 a, 24 b can be placed at various locations on court 60 to practice perimeter shooting. As also shown in FIG. 3, a mat 24 a can be used to facilitate the practicing of free throws by placing the mat such that transverse line 54 overlaps the free throw line painted on court 60.

The use of circular element 54 in transverse line 54 provides a function in addition to its role in defining line 48 with graphical arrow 50, 52. Many free throw lines include a “nail head” at the mid-point between the two ends of the free throw line. Circular element 54 can be positioned over the nail head when placing mat 24 on court 60. This not only helps in the proper positioning of mat 22 on court 60 but also trains player 68 in the proper placement of his feet when taking a free throw shot. After repeatedly aligning his feet with circular element 54 and with the aid of foot positioning indicia 26, it is thought that player 68 will find it easier to proper position his feet with respect to the nail head in an actual free throw line without the help of a training aid 20.

It is noted that the basketball court illustrated in FIG. 3 could be either an indoor court or an outdoor court. Moreover, the use of training aids 20 is not limited to regulation basketball courts and can be used with basketball hoops mounted adjacent residential driveways and other informal basketball “courts”.

It is noted that while the illustrated embodiment of training aid 20 takes the form of a floor mat, other embodiments are also within the scope of the present invention. For example, it is possible to stencil foot positioning indicia 26 on the basketball court itself. This could be done using either permanent paint (most suitable for use on “informal” courts such as residential driveways) or removable markings printed on the court surface for practice purposes and removed before holding an actual game on the court. Stencil templates formed out of durable paper or plastic sheeting could be used to stencil such foot indicia on the court surface. Such stencil templates might advantageously include alignment indicia 46 to properly orient the stencil template on the court surface before marking the foot positioning indicia 26 on the court surface.

While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. 

1. A training aid useable with a basketball court for improving a player's skill in shooting a basketball through a basketball hoop, said training aid comprising: foot positioning indicia comprising a lead foot indicia defining a foot placement position for the player's lead foot and a plurality of trailing foot indicia, each of said trailing foot indicia defining a separate foot placement position for the player's trailing foot wherein said training aid is usable by players having different sizes by selecting one of said plurality trailing foot indicia appropriate for the size of the player and using said lead foot indicia and said selected one of said trailing foot indicia to define suitable lead and trailing foot positions for the player when shooting the basketball.
 2. The training aid of claim 1 wherein said foot positioning indicia are disposed on a mat, said mat being repositionable on the basketball court.
 3. The training aid of claim 2 wherein said mat includes alignment indicia, said alignment indicia defining a proper orientation of said mat relative to the basketball hoop.
 4. The training aid of claim 3 wherein said alignment indicia define a linear direction that is positionable to point at the basketball hoop and thereby define a proper orientation of said planar surface with the basketball hoop.
 5. The training aid of claim 4 wherein said alignment indicia include a linearly extending element to define said linear direction.
 6. The training aid of claim 4 wherein said alignment indicia includes an arrowhead that points at the basketball hoop when said planar surface is properly oriented with respect to the basketball hoop.
 7. The training aid of claim 2 further comprising a transverse line disposed on said mat, said line having a width and wherein, when said mat is properly oriented with respect to the basketball hoop, said transverse line extend substantially perpendicular to a direct line extending from said lead foot indicia to the basketball hoop and said foot positioning indicia are disposed behind said transverse line with respect to the basketball hoop.
 8. The training aid of claim 7 wherein said width of said line is approximately 2 inches.
 9. The training aid of claim 1 wherein said training aid comprises a plurality of mats, each of said mats having said alignment indicia and said foot positioning indicia printed thereon; at least one of said mats having foot positioning indicia wherein said lead foot indicia defines a right foot position and said plurality of trailing foot indicia define a plurality of left foot positions; and at least another one of said mats has foot positioning indicia wherein said lead foot indicia defines a left foot position and said plurality of trailing foot indicia define a plurality of right foot positions.
 10. The training aid of claim 1 wherein said lead foot indicia defines a single location for placement of the ball of the player's lead foot.
 11. The training aid of claim 10 wherein said plurality of trailing foot indicia defines at least two separate locations for placement of the ball of the player's trailing foot.
 12. The training aid of claim 11 wherein said single location for the ball of the player's lead foot and said two separate locations for placement of the ball of the player's trailing foot are disposed in a substantially linear configuration.
 13. The training aid of claim 12 wherein said lead foot indicia further includes at least a partial foot outline and said plurality of trailing foot indicia include at least 3 partial foot outlines, said at least three partial foot outlines each having a different size, the size of said trailing foot outlines becoming progressively larger with increased distance from said lead foot indicia.
 14. The training aid of claim 1 wherein said lead foot indicia further includes at least a partial foot outline and said plurality of trailing foot indicia include at least 3 partial foot outlines, said at least three partial foot outlines each having a different size, the size of said trailing foot outlines becoming progressively larger with increased distance from said lead foot indicia.
 15. A training aid useable with a basketball court for improving a player's skill in shooting a basketball through a basketball hoop; said training aid comprising: a mat repositionable on the basketball ball court and having an upper surface; alignment indicia on said upper surface, said alignment indicia defining a proper orientation of said mat relative to the basketball hoop; foot positioning indicia on said upper surface having a predefined position relative to said alignment indicia, said foot positioning indicia comprising a lead foot indicia defining a foot placement position for the player's lead foot and defining a first width and a trailing foot indicia, said leading foot indicia and said trailing foot indicia defining a linear direction extending at a predefined angle relative to a direct line extending from said lead foot indicia to the basketball hoop, said trailing foot indicia extending along said linear direction for a length at least twice the magnitude of said first width whereby said training aid is usable by players having different sizes by selecting different locations along said length of said trailing foot indicia appropriate for the size of the player and using said lead foot indicia and said selected location along said length of said trailing foot indicia to define suitable lead and trailing foot positions for the player when shooting the basketball.
 16. The training aid of claim 15 wherein said lead foot indicia includes at least a partial foot outline and said trailing foot indicia includes a plurality of at least partial foot outlines, said plurality of trailing foot outlines defining a plurality of different sized foot outlines wherein larger ones of said plurality of trailing foot outlines are located at a greater distance from said leading foot outline than smaller ones of said plurality of trailing foot outlines.
 17. The training aid of claim 16 wherein said lead foot indicia defines a single location for placement of the player's lead foot.
 18. The training aid of claim 17 wherein said trailing foot indicia defines at least two separate locations for placement of the ball of the player's trailing foot, said single location for the ball of the player's lead foot and said two separate locations for placement of the ball of the player's trailing foot being disposed in a substantially linear configuration and thereby defining said linear direction.
 19. A method of training a basketball player; said method comprising: placing foot positioning indicia on a basketball court at a predefined orientation relative to a basketball hoop and wherein the foot positioning indicia include a lead foot indicia and a trailing foot indicia defining a linear direction extending at a predefined angle relative to a direct line extending from the lead foot indicia to the basketball hoop; positioning a player's lead foot at a position indicated by the lead foot indicia; placing the player's trailing foot along the predefined angle defined by the trailing foot indicia and at a distance from the player's lead foot that is determined by the player's size; and having the player shoot a basketball at the basketball hoop while the player's feet are positioned on the foot positioning indicia.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the foot positioning indicia are disposed on a mat that is repositionable on the basketball court and the method further includes: providing the mat with alignment indicia wherein the alignment indicia define a proper orientation of the mat relative to the basketball hoop; and using the alignment indicia to align the mat relative to the basketball hoop prior to positioning the player's feet on the foot positioning indicia. 